Say what you will about Eddie Murphy's last few years at the box office (love him or hate him), but after you watch Trading Places, it's easy to see why the whole world went crazy for Eddie after this breakout performance. Sure sure, some of you are going to say it was 48 Hours that got the tongues a waggin' but for my money, Trading Places has far longer staying power and had Eddie doing what he does best.
The Movie
Watching Trading Places again is almost like taking a trip back in time, back to when comedies didn't rely so much on gross-out humor, crudeness, or ridiculous sight gags. The story is simple: two wealthy old brothers make a bet that tries to settle the old nature vs. nurture argument. The Dukes (Don Ameche and Ralph Bellamy) select Louis (Ackroyd), a white-bread employee in the firm with everything going for him and take it all away. In his place, they install Billy Ray Valentine (Murphy), a man who is homeless and wrongly imprisoned, clearly the product of a broken home. As Louis sinks further into desperation and skid row, Valentine rises to his surroundings and proves himself a competent businessman.
Helping Louis out is Jamie Lee Curtis as the prostitute with a heart of gold: Ophelia. Both pimp-free and drug-free, Ophelia not only helps nurture Louis back to health but also plays prominently in the ploy to beat the Dukes at their own game. More importantly than that, and almost more important than the buzz Eddie Murphy got, is the nude scenes Jamie Lee Curits did in this film. Say Trading Places and any red-blooded male will talk about Jamie Lee's assets. And now here they are in full widescreen goodness. Thanks Paramount!
The cast is solid. Murphy's contribution has already been noted but this was also a post-Blues Brothers Ackroyd and he is at the top of his game. The year after this release, Ackroyd starred in the film that made him a megastar: Ghostbusters. Jamie Lee Curtis also did something other than scream, Frank Oz (Yoda) played a cop, and Al Franken played a conductor. Hell, there's even a Belushi in there! Finally, the two veteran actors Don Ameche and Ralph Bellamy are simply awesome as the stodgy old Duke brothers.
Mixing elements of timeless comedy, solid character development, and a slight vein of social commentary, Trading Places is worthy of a look when you're in the mood for a sometimes absurd, sometimes offensive, but always funny comedy.
9 out of 10
The Video
It's doubtful Trading Places has ever looked so good. I had only seen the film on VHS over the years and my well-worn copy definitely shows its age. The colors here are deep and rich, well, as deep and rich as they can be in a Philadelphia winter. Key moments to watch for include anything shot in the Heritage Club, the Christmas party at Duke and Duke, as well as the closing sequence on the beach. All represent the color palette well with no signs of fatigue, wash, or age. Likewise, you get appropriately rich black levels with no artifacting. Examples of where to check this out? The suits worn by Akroyd and Murphy as they storm Wall Street.
The presentation is anamorphic widescreen, a wise choice. I'm pretty sure I'd only seen this in pan and scan in the past. The movie feels more timeless and visually appealing with it's original aspect ratio. While our widescreen bias is pretty obvious at IGN DVD, this film is one more salvo against pan and scan. It just doesn't fly.
8 out of 10
The Audio
Elmer Bernstein delivered an Academy Award-nominated score to Trading Places. The score's influence is everywhere but most people will notice it in the opening sequence and as we first meet the Dukes. With a 5.1 Dolby Surround presentation, the score is about the only thing that will get large. Everything else is front and center. In fact, I heard almost nothing in the rear channels. At some points the dialogue dips too low only to (just a few seconds later) have the score nearly overwhelm. Thankfully, these problems are minimal and rare.
The dialogue was crisp, central, and aside from the dips noted above, problem free. It contained none of the hiss and pop you'd expect from a 20-year old film.
7 out of 10
The Extras
Nothing.
What? Not even a trailer? Cast bios? Production notes?
No, nothing ¿ which is a huge mistake on Paramount's part. The film is coming up on its 20-year anniversary. With both Akroyd and Murphy still alive, still working, and both needing something of a return to the glory days, this could have been an ideal candidate for a 20th Anniversary Special Edition for 2003. It couldn't have been that hard to sit them down in a room and have them talk about their roles for a few minutes. What about a commentary track, even a half-assed one? Hell, even Jamie Lee Curtis (currently flogging the limp Halloween franchise) could come along. It could have been an event. Instead, Paramount has squandered the goodwill and generally fond memories people have of this film and put out a technically sound but ultimately quite lazy DVD ¿ and at $24.99 to boot!
0 out of 10